The Torn Heart
by Mai Horizon
Summary: Chapter eight is up. The plot is twisting. Fate is changing. Strange things are happening. Finally, a long awaited character enters the story. Read and review as desired.
1. New Encounter

_**The Torn Heart**_

_A.N._ _Before you read this tale, know that prior game knowledge would help in your understanding. But also know that since this is one of my first fan fictions, I might not be very good at it, please simply understand and help a beginner in need of advice and guidance in the review section. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Also, I apologize the Al-Bhed language in here holds no consistence, I got a bit lazy there, sorry _XD.

Chapter 1: New Encounter

The clear and cool waters of the tiny lake gently caressed her feet as she sat there, at the edge of the lake, her mind full of thoughts and memories. It's been two years since she had been here last, the memories that this place held was simply too painful to recall...now that he was gone. But the news of Macalania Woods disappearing spurred her to visit this spot once more, perhaps one last time. Fortunately, the woods were little different than her memory of them, the silvery plants still reflected their strange light, the path of mysterious light still shone brightly, and the lake is still cool and clear.

Yuna stared at the lake's glimmering and dancing waters, her mind full of old memories, and her heart heavy with a strange sensation that had resided there since he disappeared that day. She had come to the tiny lake alone, since neither Paine nor Rikku, nor anyone understood her heart, besides, this was her memories, not theirs. This little lake was the very first place he had kissed her, and come shown her what love felt like, something she thought she had given up on when she became a summoner, seemingly ages ago. He was there to fill that dull emptiness in her heart, those silly moments of whistling at an ocean, or being hit by bolts of lightning, and those serious ones of operation Mihen she shared with him, made her feel whole. But now, the dull emptiness returned, she needed him, she need someone who would embrace her and love her and understand her.

A chilly gust of Macalanian wind whirled past her cheeks, enveloping her in a sense of cold loneliness. But out of the corner of her mind, a thought popped out at her; she put her thumb and her forefinger in her mouth, and blew.

Ssshrrr 

The shrill whistle that he had taught her to do. He had told her that if she ever needed him; just whistle...nothing happened.

She tried again, the shrill sound flew through the trees and startled the birds that perched there, still there was nothing.

"Where are you?" Yuna whispered to the glittering lake, hopelessly.

She was so alone in the world, her father and mother are both dead, the only man she had loved gone, her friends either didn't or couldn't understand, and her former guardians all had their own lives. Slowly, she felt her eyes welling up, the cool water of the lake seemed to turn cold, and the wind simply blew harder. No one loves me, she thought with a level of profound sorrow. Suddenly and uncontrollably, the tears flowed freely from her eyes. Yuna knew she had to be a strong girl, to set an example for Rikku, but now, she could care less, she simply wanted to cry. Drawing up her knees, she leaned her head against them and wept. She wept until she lost track of time, enfolded in a barrier of tears and sadness.

How many times has she wondered what had become of him? Was he back at Zanarkand? Or was he simply gone? How many times has she dreamt of him? Together again. She had joined the Gullwings to have fun and forget about those haunting memories, but she still couldn't let go. Why? Why can't I be happy? Yuna thought almost pitifully.

Then suddenly and unexpectedly, she felt forceful hands clutch onto both her shoulders, disturbing her thoughts and dragging her up to her unstable knees. Alarmed, Yuna's tear strained eyes snapped open, before her stood three burly but lithe men, two of which were holding her up, all uniformed in a deep black shirt, a black tunic, and black breeches. Their eyes were covered by what appeared to be blindfold, something about them immediately gave Yuna the sense they were well-trained killers, assassins who hid in the dark.

The three nodded towards each other, apparently they could still somehow see through the blindfold, and the grip on Yuna's shoulders immediately tightened to pain.

"Ah," A cry escaped her lips.

"Your name." The man in the middle spoke in an almost bored voice, as if he had done this too often.

Yuna, her senses still locked in the shock of the moment, could do nothing but stare helplessly.

The grip instantly grew unbearable, their fingers digging into her soft flesh, drawing blood.

"Ahhh," Yuna screamed in pain.

"Your name." The man in the middle nonchalantly waved a gloved hand.

The pain cracked through the numb shock, and Yuna answered in confusion and bewilderment, "Yuna."

"Do her." The man in the middle, who was apparently the leader, directed the other two guys. He took a full look at her, sizing her up and sighed, "What a waste, such a nice body." He turned his head, and despite the blindfold, his face was suddenly filled with a look of surprise.

What? Do her? What's going on? Yuna thought, puzzled. Before she could do or say anything, she felt a light prickling of a needle on her arm. Immediately, the grip on her shoulders loosened, her vision begun to haze over, and her mind begun to cloud. She hit the ground hard on her back, knocking her breath away. The last thing she saw before blackness took over was a flash of familiar spiky blond hair flash over her.

A single thought raced through her mind, _Tidus?_

_A.N._ _Rather I'll write and post chapter two will depend entirely upon what people think of this one. Please tell me in the review (and yes, please review) if you would like me to go on writing._


	2. A New Friend

_**The Torn Heart**_

Ch. 2: A New Friend

"Yunie, oh Yunie, please wake up." A familiar and worried voice chimed into her mind.

"Yuna, don't give up...we need you." Another familiar voice slightly deeper than the last, the last part was said with some effort.

Then, "She'll pull through." This time, Yuna completely didn't recognize the voice, but there was a soft but commanding tone to it.

Gently, Yuna opened her eyes, which were still hazy and dazed from the incident. The first thing she saw was that spiky yellow hair. She started to sit up, but a quick burst of pain from back sent her right back down.

"Yunie! Your alive!" Relief flooded into the words.

Slowly, Yuna blinked a few times, clearing her eyes, and slowly sat up. She was still in Macalania Woods, the three burly men were nowhere in site. Instead, Rikku, Paine and a stranger she didn't recognize stood about her, each with an expression of relief.

As soon as she sat up, Rikku knelt down next to Yuna and quickly threw her arms around her. "Oh Yunie, you had me so worried,"

"Sorry," Yuna smiled and returned the hug with much effort as her back still hurt.

Paine simply stood to the side, and although she didn't say much, the look of relief on her face was enough.

But the one that really attracted Yuna's attention was the stranger; he stood at a distance, leaning against a tree, looking at her with both disappointment and wistfulness. Dressed in a simple blue shirt, somewhat wrinkled blue pants, and a pair of brown boots, he was tall and seemed to be somewhat thin in his attire. Yet his solid and sinewy muscles along his arms, which probably came from wielding the long and massive blade that rested next to him, proved he was a strong and powerful man. His gloved hand tightly held unto the hilt of his massive, although busted, sword. But the thing that truly attracted her attention was his eyes, they seemed to glow with a strange green light, almost as if it was unnatural, giving him a nearly non-human presence.

Yuna looked a bit deeper into his eyes, there was something there, a glint of experience and wisdom that belies his age, though he appears to be not much older than Yuna herself.

"Umm, Yunie, is something wrong?" Rikku's amused voice snapped Yuna back to the present.

Yuna quickly turned away from starring at the young man, noticing it was making everyone uncomfortable. She quickly shooked her head and said as nonchalantly as she could, "Oh nothing, I was just wondering..." She didn't have a good excuse, so instead she asked, "Er, Who's that?" Motioning toward the stranger.

But before either Rikku or Paine could answer, the stranger's soft and calm voice ringed in, "My name is..." he stood up and walked over to where Yuna was sitting, "Cirrus..."

"Okay...Cirrus, I'm Yuna, that's Rikku, and Paine." Yuna flashed her usual warm smile. Then, almost all of sudden, she remembered and promptly asked, "What happened, who were those people dressed in black?"

"Assassins, I heard you whistles twice while I was walking through the woods, I rushed here thinking..." He paused, "I rushed here, but they ran off before I could catch them. I found a little radio sphere on you, and I called your friends over. They managed to take the poisoned needle out of you arm in time, you'll heal in time. But you need rest, you should go back to your ship...the Celsius?" He looked toward Rikku to confirm the name, Rikku gesticulated something that meant yes.

Yuna nodded, but then, "What about you?" She wondered.

"I...I must trek to the ruined city north of here." There was a look of solid determination in his eyes that seemed to enhance his soft and calm voice.

"Ruined city? You mean Zanarkand?" Yuna was a bit taken back, was he just another shallow tourist? She eyed him slightly, "How come?"

"I'm searching for someone."

"Oh, well..." Yuna wanted to ask who? But then that would be impolite, so instead she suggested, "we can take you Zanarkand on our ship." She looked towards Rikku, who nodded and twirled her hair, Paine, on the other hand, didn't seem to care.

Cirrus simply scratched the back of his head and nodded, muttering, "Thanks" underneath his breath, something, Yuna concluded, he wasn't used to saying.

Grabbing unto his extended hand, to help herself up, she didn't expect for Cirrus to pull her up and catch her in his arms. Carrying Yuna in his arms, he didn't notice the looks of surprise in both Rikku and Paine's faces. "Which way?" He asked, calmly.

All Rikku could do was point towards the sphere that would allow them to board the ship, and follow Cirrus's lead.

Normally, Yuna would've got on her own feet and walked despite the pain in her back, but there was something comforting about his presence, a sense that everything will be alright, a feeling she hasn't felt since well, Tidus vanished. Yuna leaned her head against his chest; she could hear the steady beating of his heart underneath his hard body. His strong and sinewy arms enfolded her, carrying her, protecting her. _Just as Tidus did_, she thought to herself, no matter what happens, she knew deep in her heart, those memories they shared would never fade.

They four walked towards the sphere, her thoughts filled with her last pilgrimage and all moments that they had shared. But this time, although completely ignored by Yuna, a small sliver of doubt crept into her mind.

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy characters _

_I know this should be at the top of the first chapter, but I forgot to post it there, I hope it doesn't cost any legal problems..._


	3. Within the Celsius

_**The Torn Heart**_

_A.N. sorry there is little consistency in the Al-Bhed being spoken here, fortunately, I won't need to use it often, enjoy the chapter_. XD

Ch. 3: Within the Celsius

"Hi everyone," Rikku cheerfully chimed in as she stepped through the doorway to the bridge of the Celsius, "C'mon, get your lazy bums over here and help us a little, Yunie's hurt."

Following her words, Cirrus walked in with Yuna in his arms, immediately attracting the attention of everyone, especially Brother. Paine followed in wordlessly.

Yuna had tried to walk in herself to avoid awkwardness between Cirrus and Brother, something she knew would happen. But her back still wasn't strong enough to support her without pain. They would just have to deal with the situation with Brother rather than avoid it.

As if to prove her point, Brother immediately jumped out of his pilot seat and rushed over to Yuna. Followed by Shinra and Buddy, who were putting the ship into autopilot.

Brother, seemingly without even noticing Cirrus, reached out his hand and caressed Yuna's hair, then in a soft, but nevertheless badly pronounced pharse he said, "Yuna...are you hurt?"

"No, I'll be okay." Yuna smiled at brother.

What an awkward position we are in: I'm in Cirrus's arms, but smiling at Brother. She mused over the thought.

Noticing the discomfort of the three, Brother backed up slightly; Yuna noticed the look of gratefulness mixed in with suspicion and a hint of jealousy as he stared at Cirrus, "Who...Are...You?" He sounded almost bordering rude.

But before Cirrus had a chance to speak, Rikku jumped into the action, with a smile and a twirl of her hair, she put a hand on Cirrus's shoulders, "This is Cirrus, he was the one that called us when Yuna was in trouble." Rikku then put her other hand on Brother's shoulders, "This, is my brother, Brother! My pop wasn't too creative with him. Oh and one more thing, Brother's a sicko sometimes, just ignore him."

"Rikku, Kah Pasa!" Brother turned to Rikku and in a most exaggerated manner, shook his fist at her.

Rikku, however, completely ignored him, she pointed to Buddy, "That's Buddy over there, our super-hot-spot-finder-extraordinaire!"

Buddy nodded towards Cirrus, seemingly unaffected by Brother's attitude toward the spiky blond haired stranger.

"And this," Rikku continued on, "Our kid genius, Shinra!"

Yuna suddenly felt Cirrus's arms tense, she saw his eyes widen, a look of surprise lit his features as he heard the name Shinra. The look quickly faded, as he nodded in Shinra's direction. But it didn't stop Yuna from asking, "Do you know Shrina?"

Cirrus smiled and shook his head, "No, it was just a coincidence, his name reminded me of something."

Yuna started to speak again, wanting to question what it reminded him of, but Cirrus cleverly changed the topic by clearing his throat and stating, "Yuna is still hurt, is there an area in this ship that she could lie down?"

Brother, back in his usual self, immediate stared down at Cirrus, imposing himself as the leader, "I am the.... leader...of this ship.... and I decide-"

But before he could finish, Rikku quickly jumped up and walked to the sliding door, and beckoned Cirrus to come, "Please ignore him, and follow me."

Upon reaching the shop/bedroom, the trio greeted the barkeep, and went upstairs. Cirrus laid Yuna upon a bed, she then promptly fell asleep in exhaustion.

_What's that sound?_

_Music..._

_What is it...?_

_The Hymn of the Faith?!_

_No...It different_

_Where is it coming from...?_

Gently, Yuna eyes fluttered open. It was dark; apparently, night had fallen while she was sleeping. Rikku and Paine lay on beds next to hers, both of them in their pajamas, sleeping fitfully into the night. Gingerly, Yuna sat up; the pain in her back had faded. She knew she couldn't sleep anymore; tiredness and lethargy had left her head a long time ago.

She got up; the ship was completely silent except for the soft hum of the engines and the sound of someone singing. Carefully, she crept down the stairs, being quiet as not to disturb Paine, as she was a light sleeper. Rikku, on the other hand, could probably sleep through a marching band clashing their cymbals and gongs right in her ears. Yuna headed for the deck, she was sure whoever was singing would be up there.

As she walked, she mused over who it could be. Brother? Nah, he sleeps like Rikku does. Buddy? No way, he's way too shy to sing. It can't be Shinra either; he's just a kid, Yuna thought to herself. For a brief second she even considered the idea of Barkeep singing, but the thought simply made her laugh.

Cirrus, it could only be him. This man is so strange and unique; he isn't like anyone she has ever met before. Just who is he? He isn't dressed like anyone in Spira, no one in Spira could lift much less use that massive sword of his, but his eyes, those strange glowing green eyes, they seemed to capture Yuna every time he looks at her with them. He is a handsome man, no doubt, he had the hard chest and muscular arms to prove it, but there is just something off about him, Yuna chewed over the thoughts. His eyes seemed to reflect a level of pain and experience that went far beyond his years; he has suffered the pain of losses too...

The hymn grew louder as she drew nearer to the door that would lead outside to the deck. The voice, Cirrus's voice was pleasant and smooth, it made her feel peaceful and calm inside. The song seemed to fill her spirit with hope and light, something she knew was fading in her life.

Then just as she reached the door, the hymn immediately stopped, in its place, she heard a muffled cry.

Without warning, the deck door slide open, as soon as the sight caught her eyes, Yuna's hands quickly flew to her own mouth, to prevent herself from screaming.

_A.N. Okay, I pretty much reached my Chapter page limit, I'll update as soon as I have finished my normal busy work, it shouldn't take too long. Thx for reading this chapter :)_


	4. Cirrus's Secret

_**The Torn Heart**_

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the girls, or boys from the Final Fantasies._

Ch.4: Cirrus's Secret

She had expected a horrible darkness on the deck, but instead, she could clearly see a man stood on the deck of the Celsius, with his back to Yuna, oblivious to her presence. His outstretched hands cracked with brilliant sparks of energy. He was dressed in attire of pure black, except for two white shoulder pads. At his waist rested an exceedingly long blade, silvery and glossy, it seemed to be around twice Yuna's height. Matching his sword, the man had long silvery hair that gilded in the night wind like slithering snakes. Oddly enough, there was something seemingly familiar about this man, even though Yuna has never seen him in her life before. The man glowed with menacing power; yet there was a certain deep darkness that Yuna could sense that flowed out him.

Cirrus hung in the air above the man, his arms and legs apart, as if invisible chain held him in place. On the ground beneath Cirrus, his massive sword lay there; the blade seemed slightly chipped at the sharp edge.

Suddenly, the sparks of energy that danced about the stranger's outstretched hands intensified. Cirrus face contorted in a painful grimace. His mouth cried out in an silent scream. The strange man, however, seemed as if to chuckle at Cirrus's agony.

Instinctively, Yuna reached behind her for her pair of handguns, but instead of the feel of cold steel, she only felt the soft fabric of her own pajamas. Apparently, Rikku and Paine must've changed her outfit while she was sleeping; the guns and dresspheres must by my bed right now. She thought to herself.

Then it hit her, Lulu had taught her a black magic spell before they had defeated Sin two years ago. Remembering the words, albeit not perfectly, she begun the chant that would gather the magic energies inside her, while keeping her eyes locked onto the target.

Then without warning, before Yuna could finish her spell, the strange man's head snapped around in surprise. His gaze locked dead on Yuna, shattering her concentration. The man's eyes glowed with a haunting green light, much like Cirrus's eyes. His eyes frozen her in her tracks, the spell faded from her mind.

Then, without another word, his hands fell upon the long sword of his. Then, in a blink of an eye, his sword flashed out before him poised like a lance, as he dashed at Yuna with an incredible speed.

Yuna tried to move, to get out of the way, but her legs wouldn't budge, they felt like lead weights. Instead, she fell back on her rear; she could do nothing but to close her eyes and waited for the cold bite of steel to penetrate her body.

The blade never came. When she opened her eyes, Cirrus stood before her, his back to her, his massive sword poised ready in his hands. The strange man stood facing Cirrus, his long sword crackling menacingly with sparks of energy.

Without a word, the stranger lunged at Cirrus, aiming for his neck. Then quicker than the eye could follow, Cirrus danced to the side, evading the man's thrust. Both power and grace, he slashed his blade effortlessly toward the stranger. Expecting the blade to cut through skin, flesh and bone, Yuna closed her eyes.

Instead, _Cling_

The sound of steel against metal reverberated through the night air. Opening her eyes, the strange man had vanish, and along with his brilliant aura of sparkling energy. The deck of the Celsius had gone completely black, the only thing that provided some meager light was the sparks that flew out of the broken panel, which she assumed Cirrus hand hacked with his sword accidentally. Soon, even the sparks from the panel stopped flying out, rendering Yuna into deep blackness.

Yuna couldn't see anything in the darkness, something she hated. Although she never told anyone, Yuna had a certain fear of the dark, much like Rikku had a fear of lightning. She hated to be alone, in a dark and scary place.

"Cirrus?" Her voice quaked a little, "Where are you?" What if he disappeared with the strange man? Or what if the stranger killed Cirrus? She thought to herself frantically. What if the strange man is still here?

"Cirrus?!" Her voice quivered a little more, "Is he gone?"

Unexpectedly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. But then, the calm and smooth voice of Cirrus reached her, "It's okay Yuna, he's gone. We'll be fine."

Out of sheer relief, Yuna grabbed at Cirrus's hand, good, he is still here. Cirrus was apparently well aware of her fear of the dark, decided to sit down next to Yuna. The two rested in comfortable silence, lost in thought.

Yuna wondered what the others would think if they saw her like this, clinging onto another man in the darkness. Rikku would probably laugh and poke fun of her, Paine would probably think it's weak to rely on anyone; Lulu would probably just shake her head, and Tidus...Well Tidus.

Slowly, Yuna drew her hand away from Cirrus, changing the silence around them from peaceful to awkward. But what else could she do? After all, all her heart belonged to Tidus, they were meant for each other. And Cirrus, well, Cirrus is just a stranger; she didn't really know him, but still...

"What's wrong Yuna?" Cirrus's tranquil voice broke the silence.

"I...was just wondering who that man was..."Yuna was never good at lying.

Yuna knew Cirrus saw through the lie like a blitzball through water, but he still answered calmly, "His name is..." He paused a second, as if in thought, "he is the man who burned down my home town, and killed the people I care about." He paused, and almost as if he could read her, he said, "but that isn't what's bothering you, is it?

Yuna sighed; Cirrus had read her like an open book. But how could she tell him what really was wrong? He wouldn't understand. So instead, she waved the question away to ask her own, "Cirrus..." She paused, thinking of a way to phrase her questions, "Cirrus who are you?"

She knew the question would catch him off guard, "I'm Cirrus, who else can I be?"

"You know what I mean," Yuna sounded almost rude, "If you answer my question, I'll answer yours, Okay?"

Cirrus sighed. Yuna had made it perfectly clear to him that he would not be able to elude answering her. So he simply took a deep breathe and begun his tale, "

_A.N. Sorry guys, but I've once again reached my chapter page limit, but don't worry, I'll update very soon. Thank you for reading, who knows who might make an appearance in the next chapter._


	5. Ghosts of a Distant World

_**The Torn Heart**_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the girls, please don't bother my legally_

Ch.5: Ghosts of a Distant World

"Rather you sensed it or not, I'm not from this world Yuna." Cirrus begun, his voice held a light quiver as if it hides deep emotions. He went on, "My home world is much different from Spira; we had an amazing array of technology, our cities sprawled all over the planet, built in the name of one massive company. This massive company made its riches by siphoning the very essence of the planet; they gradually drained the planet of its very life for profit. This essence of the planet is called lifestream, supposedly, when one dies, he returns to the planet as a part of the lifestream, thus allowing new life to be born. But to protect the many riches of the Company, they formed an elite group of soldiers by exposing them to the very lifestream of the planet. From this elite group came a man, he was the best of the best, skilled, powerful, and cunning, his name was Sephiorth..." Cirrus paused for a second, "You've met him just a little earlier Yuna. One day, after a dark revelation he had while checking a reactor next to my hometown, he simply went insane." Cirrus's voice grew shaky, as if the memory was an unpleasant one, "He burned down my hometown, killing most of the people. But in his arrogance, I managed to sneak up behind him and bring him down by throwing him deep into the reactor's pumps, he plummeted into the lifestream. After the match, I fainted out of exhaustion then, I was no match for Sephiorth, it was only by luck I survived.

"I'm not too clear on what happened next, but a scientist working for the Company took me in as an experimenting subject..." Cirrus's voice shuddered, "I don't remember what he did, or how many times he did it. All I know is that when I woke to myself years later in a slum of city, I had lost the majority of my memories, my hopes, and my dreams, I simply could not recall any of them, that scientist had taken away my very soul, I became nothing by a worthless puppet. I worked as a mercenary in the slum city, there I met a man while on a job; he employed me to help him to protect the planet's lifestream by assaulting the Company's reactors. Along the way, we discovered, to our surprise, the Company was not the planet's greatest threat. Sephiorth, the man who burned down my home, was still alive. And in his madness, he had planned to attain godhood by destroying the planet and siphoning its lifestream. We knew we had to stop him.

"Along the way, we met many people who joined our party to help us, an arrogant pilot, a young ninja, even a spy sent by the Company who eventually came to believe in our cause. It is also where I met her, again..."

"Her? Who?" Yuna asked, a certain element of surprise was detectable in her voice; she was disturbed by it, why should she care who he met?

"She was an old friend from my hometown, she was a good natured and lively girl with a fondness for whistling..." He paused, somehow realizing it would not be prudent to elaborate on her any longer, "She slowly helped me find my soul, ending that inner turmoil within my spirit. With my mind at peace, we managed to find Sephiorth and finally defeat him, we managed to save the planet, but the price we paid was high, so many had lost their lives..."

Yuna caught herself thinking what Cirrus's "old friend" was like, but she quickly stopped herself, after all, what did it matter to her? Instead, she turned to Cirrus, she could see a shadowy outline of him against a slowly lighting eastern sky, she asked, "So, how did you get to Spira?"

Cirrus's sighed lightly, and resumed, "After the battle with Sephiorth, we all decided to return to our homes. I was on a boat with her-" He had a way of saying that word that made Yuna slightly uncomfortable, "heading back to our hometown with a dozen of other tourists; suddenly there was a distant rumble in the ocean. A massive tidal wave was bearing down upon our boat. When the wave hit us, she flew overboard into the wave, I dove in after her, but the rushing waters quickly knocked me out. When I awoke, I found myself within a massive field of flowers and mist; a huge waterfall was at my back, while millions of wisp like spirits wafted around me. I wandered about the meadow of flowers looking for her, I called out her name, I whistled, I did all I could, to no avail. One day, I saw a doorway standing before me, seeming out of thin air. I walked through the doorway, into a new place I haven't seen before. There were people here; _Guadosalem _the people called their cities. I asked them if they had seen a girl with long black hair pass, although they had said no, I just went on searching. I've been scouring every corner of Spira for her ever since. In my travels, I learned that tidal wave was actually a monster named Sin. I heard of the Summoners and their sacrifices for the Spira to kill Sin temporarily. Then I learned of a summoner and her guardians had managed to finally rid Sin of this world..." He paused, then he turned to look at Yuna with those mesmerizing green eyes, "But I've also heard a rumor of a dream that has faded..."

The last part caught Yuna completely off guard, she had no idea anyone knew of her feelings for Tidus except for a few of her former guardians. "How...??" Yuna couldn't even stammer out the question properly."

Even in the meager light of the dawn, Yuna could see a little smile creep across Cirrus's features, "I heard your speech that day in Luca's Blitzball stadium. That young man with the blond hair wasn't there with you, unlike your other guardians."

Yuna looked down at the ground, she and Cirrus still sat on the broken elevator platform, and in a quiet voice Yuna said, "So I guess you know what happened."

"I don't know the details," gently, he touched her chin, and he tilted Yuna's head until their eyes met, with his eyes full of compassion and empathy, he said in a soft voice, "I share your pain Yuna, I understand how you feel, one day you'll find him."

Once again, the words caught Yuna off guard, she had half expected for him to launch an unwanted kiss on her, but instead... Instead, he gave her hope, hope that she would find Tidus one day, he had given her a sense that she wasn't so alone anymore. Yuna felt her eyes water, she quickly threw her arms around this distant stranger that no longer seemed to be strange or distant. Hugging Cirrus's, she softly whispered, "Thank you."

Then, almost as if done purposely to disturb them, Brother's voice blared out all across the Celsius, "Yuna!! Where...Are...You?!"

_A.N._ _Here we are again, at the end of another chapter. And just out of curiosity, I would like to ask the reader what you think of Cirrus, please include your response in the review. Thank you for reading; I'll update the next chapter soon. By the way, my chapter limit is two pages on Microsoft Word®_


	6. Dark Destiny

_**The Torn Heart**_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the girls from this or any of the other chapters._

Ch. 6: Dark Destiny

The red morning sun broke through the veil of darkness that was night, as the Celsius descended through the clouds to land in the Calm Lands. After hearing Yuna was upon the deck of the Celsius alone with Cirrus, Brother had order for her to remain hidden from Cirrus, while he landed the ship so he could "rescue" her from that dastardly deviant stranger. She had smiled upon hearing those words, no matter what happens, good old Brother would always be the same.

However, Yuna did not obey the command as there was no reason nor place to hide from Cirrus, instead, she did the exact opposite by asking him, "Cirrus, why were you singing on the deck in the middle of the night?"

Cirrus looked her, as he leaned against the wall next to the broken elevator panel, a light blush on his cheeks, "I was...a little homesick, it has been so long since I've been on a airship, it reminded me of my own story," he admitted.

"And that song?" Yuna fiddled with the material of her pajamas, which were filled with a dumb looking moogle with a nightcap.

"That song was the lyrics to a piano piece I heard her play." His eyes seemed to glow with fond memories.

Once again, Yuna caught herself wondering just who Cirrus's mystery girl was, but she again stopped herself. It didn't matter. She looked at Cirrus, his attire was modest in how it revealed so little of his body, something completely against the fashion of Spira, which was to dress in clothing that revealed as much as possible. His spiky blond hair, his mesmerizing green eyes, none of it fit in with any of Spira's thoughts or philosophies. She knew she should see him as a bizarre stranger, but there was just something about him, something unexplainable that made Yuna feel so strange inside. He stirred up a feeling insider she hasn't feel since...well, since-

She stopped herself before she could finish that thought, it was wrong, she shouldn't be thinking like this. She quickly asked, "Cirrus, why is Sephiorth here if you had defeated him in your world years ago?" to purge her mind of her wrongful thoughts. It worked.

"I don't know..." the blush on his face had vanish, his tone became sober and calm, "maybe he came here through Sin as well, but one thing is for certain, he will cause more pain to this world than even Sin could've. He-"

Suddenly, Brother's voice blared about the Celsius, "Yuna, sit down and hold onto something, we are going to land soon..." there was a pause, then, more to himself than Yuna, "...what is that?!"

Without so much as a warning, a wall of iridescent brightness temporarily blinded her. When the bright flash cleared her eyes, the sight caught her completely off guard, leaving her shocked and breathless. The engines, the turbines, even the back wall of the Celsius were completely shaved off.

Shocked and appalled, Yuna could simply stare at the sky, the spot where the turbines that had kept the ship up had once stood. So focus, she didn't even notice the Celsius rapidly descending through the clouds, dropping like a lead weight. It was only when she felt her feet was drifting up from the swiftly falling Celsius did she realize what was happening.

The utter sensation of falling and weightlessness took over, and almost immediately, panic took over. She could feel the Celsius angling downward; it was going to plummet headfirst into the Calm Lands. The cold and rushing wind caught her hair and her slapped her cheeks, she squinted her eyes. The wide and lush grass of the Calm Lands was dashing towards her with incredible speed. She fell to the ground as the ship slanted downward even more.

Falling helplessly, Yuna reached out her hand hoping to grasp unto something, anything, but her cold hands felt nothing but the colder rushing wind. Her heart beat faster and faster as the ground became larger and nearer. She could almost feel her heart and lungs pushing to escape her throat. She squeezed close her eyes, she wanted to scream, but her mouth was too numb to open.

Suddenly, she felt the warm touch of a hand on her wind-chilled wrist, instinctively; she grabbed at the other person's wrist and clung on with all her might. Almost immediately, almost instantly, she felt the rushing wind slow down, her heart and lungs returning to her original spots, the fall had stopped.

She opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a huge red ship plummeting into the Calm Lands headfirst a few hundred feet below her, the ship dug into the ground a bit, the front turbine wheels snapping off to the sides.

Suddenly, she caught the site of what appeared to be a large blue fireball speeding toward the underside of the ship. Before she could even blink, the fireball hit the underside and exploded into a brilliant flash of light, forcing Yuna to quickly squeeze her eyes shut.

When she opened them again, the Celsius was no longer there, in its place stood a few pieces of blasted black metal. The formerly lush grass of the Calm Lands was now ablaze.

Then, it all came back to her, "Rikku! Paine, Brother, Buddy..." _Where are they?_

She looked up; she saw the shadowy outline of Cirrus against the sun holding her by her wrist, but he had something that appeared to be a wing stretching out the right side of his back. She could tell that wing was filled with mythical energies, even though it appeared to be a simple black-feathered wing. However, what attracted her attention was his intensely glowing green eyes, they were filled with incredible color as he stared at something downward. She followed his gaze, and-

_Sephiorth_, he stood in the air above the silvery Macalania treetops, crackling blue energy danced about him. He seemed to be chuckling. He turned his head, seeing Cirrus and Yuna, he smiled sadistically. With a nod of challenge towards Cirrus, he descended through the treetops, and out of Yuna's sight.

Cirrus must've acknowledged the challenge, as he rapidly, but still safely, begun to descend in a tight circle, his one wing balancing strangely well. Within moments they landed in a patch of still green grass in the Calm Lands, far from the fire.

Cirrus turned to Yuna, a look of grim determination on his face, but there was something strange and wild in his eyes. In a voice that was both strong and caring, he said, "Yuna, your friends Rikku and Paine are safe, don't worry. But whatever happens don't go into the forest, I'll come back...if I live." Yuna barely caught the last part, but she was sure he couldn't be serious.

But before Yuna could reply, Cirrus turned and jumped up to an implausible height, and with a light flex of his black feathery wing, he glided into the forest with incredible speed and grace.

_A.N. Cirrus has a wing? Could possibly be a question one might ask, and the answer is yes. I would explain why and such, but that would have to wait until the later chapters. I'll update as soon as I can get my homework straightened out, life for me is getting tougher and tougher. Sorry for the late update to this one, the next one will come sooner. Thanks for reading._


	7. Shadowed Woods

_**The Torn Heart**_

_(Yes, I finally updated, sorry about the long wait, I've been busy with my finals, apparently 10th grade is harder than I thought it would be. Enought about me, here's the chapter, I'll update more as soon as my schedule clears up.)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the girls or the guys. The belong to Square or whatnot_

Ch.7: Shadowed Woods

They could hear the clinging sound of metal in the distance as they ran deeper and deeper into the Macalania Woods, not just to find Cirrus, but to escape the inferno that was building in the Calm Lands.

Paine and Rikku ran beside Yuna, she could hear their heavy breathing; they were all exhausted. Yuna's arm ached from having hung onto them for too long, her legs ached for oxygen, her heart pumping furiously, but all of it was just a blur; her mind was still in shock.

Brother, Buddy, Shinra…Where are you? She cried in her mind. Rikku and Paine had hovered down on Rikku's Machina Maw, so maybe Brother and Buddy could've figured something out. There is no way they could've just di…No, Yuna could not finish that thought, they've got to be alive somewhere. We are after all, the Gullwings, Yuna thought to herself. I'll find them as soon as we get this over with.

Yuna would've stayed behind to look for Brother and Buddy, but Paine had convinced her that they needed to go help Cirrus first. As soon as they had landed next to Yuna on that patch of grass, Paine had jumped down and order the both her and Rikku to enter the forest. Yuna explained all she knew of what had happened, and Paine immediately made her decision with surprising quickness. Yuna would've not listened, but there was just something about Paine's suddenly commanding voice and presence that made Yuna follow her.

Now, here they are, running madly to reach the sound of clashing steel that grew closer each moment. The three ran unimpeded by the hostile tree branches or the wandering fiends, deeper and deeper into the forest, farer and farer off the standard Macalanian trail. Then, just as Paine pushed away the last few branches, they came upon an open pond.

_Sephiorth_! The hateful man glided gently on top of the pond of water, the fish underneath swam about oblivious to the obvious danger. His once again crackled with blue energy, his long silvery hair billowing around him wildly even though Yuna could feel no wind. In one of his hands, he held his long sword, its edges stained with red dripping blood. In his other hand, he, with two fingers, disdainfully held a much larger sword.

_Cirrus_! He knelt in the shallow water, clutching at this side. Blood was seeping through his fingers, pooling red the normally clear waters around him. His black wing had vanished, along with that strange wildness in his eyes with it. Now, his eyes held nothing but pure fury and determination as he glared defiantly at Sephiorth.

Unexpectedly, Sephiorth turned to face Yuna, the deep glowing green of his eyes piercing through her soul. She froze feeling a sudden chill in her blood; a sliver of fear and hopelessness crept into her mind. Then, his eyes turned to Paine, and immediately, they widened in total shock and alarm; something Yuna assumed to be exceedingly uncharacteristic of Sephiorth. Then a strange glint or recognition and something else blinked in his green eyes.

Without so much as a word, he cast down the Cirrus's blade into the water, and sheathed his own sword. Gracefully, he hovered over to Paine, and without the usual malice in his eyes; he did the most unexpected thing. His arms flew around her in an embrace. Caught off guard, Paine's face froze in abject terror and surprise. Then, in a blink of an eye, both Paine and Sephiorth vanished.

The trio stood there, it was as if time had froze, the blazing flames of the trees faded, and the terrified chirps of escaping birds fell upon nothing. The sheer silence deafened Yuna.

"Paine?!" Rikku, nervously whimpered, breaking the silence. "Where are you?" Rikku called out, the first time she heard her speak since what seemed to be a million years ago; her voice wasn't the usual cheeriness, but a more profound and sad tune of a lost child.

Yuna didn't wait to see if there would be an answer, instead, she ran to Cirrus. The massive blade now once again sheathed on his back, he still clutched at his side as he stumbled out of the pond.

"You're hurt…" Yuna tried to rip a piece of her pajamas, but the strong material would not pull off, "Let's get you bandaged, then we can go look for Brother and the others."

"Yuna, I'm okay, I'll heal." He sighed slightly, as if unsure how to say this, "Yuna…we should go find Paine and Sephiorth."

"Lets find Brother and the others first," Rikku walked over, trying, almost pathetically, to sound cheerful, "Then, we can go save Paine."

"No, we have to go find Paine first, the living needs us more." His voice was resolute.

"But Brother and Buddy and Shinra are still alive." Rikku protested.

Yuna nodded in agreement, the Gullwings were invincible, so nothing can tear them apart. Both Rikku and Yuna stared expectantly at Cirrus, a wistful longing in their eyes.

Cirrus looked at the both of them, his green eyes glowed with sadness, he seemed to have forgotten his own wound, the blood was flowing freely.

But before he could speak, Rikku started to tug on his free hand, "C'mon let's go find them."

"Yeah," Yuna agreed, "They might be in the ship, we have to go save them."

Cirrus didn't move, instead, he sighed looking at them through somber eyes, "Yuna, Rikku, you both know what happened, Brother, Buddy, and Shinra are gone. You two have to accept that fact before we go after Sephiorth, or else he'll toy with your inner emotions…As he did me." He added, somewhat bitterly, "Then, we can go save Paine, she still needs us more than anyone else right now."

"No!" Rikku yelled, her eyes glared fire at Cirrus, "We have to find them…please." She looked to Yuna for support.

Yuna didn't know what to say, Paine does need her, who knows what Sephiorth might be doing? But Brother and the others also need her; they might be alive somewhere.

Seeing her hesitate, Rikku grabbed at Yuna's wrist, "C'mon Yunie, let's go before the fire spreads even more…." Rikku looked around unsure, "Umm…which way?" Finding her solution in the form of an entrance into the woods, she tugged at Yuna, "C'mon, before it's too late."

"Wait." Cirrus's hand fell upon Yuna's shoulders, forcing her to stop, "Yuna." He looked deep into her eyes, making Yuna tremble; then in a calm yet strong voice he said, "Listen to me, no one could've survived that crash, I realize you love Brother, Buddy, and Shinra, but you must realize, Paine-"

"NO!" Rikku yelled out, the young years of cheery happiness instantly shifting to anger, "Brother is in trouble, he might be hurt, we have to save him! Now, if _you_ don't want to help us, that's fine, let's go Yuna!" She pulled hard on Yuna's wrist, but Cirrus's grip was too strong. Without another word, she whipped out her flimflam pushing it right up against Cirrus's wrist. Grinding her teeth, Rikku said icily, "Remove you hand."

Cirrus looked at her, his eyes widened in surprise, as did Yuna's. She couldn't believe what was happening, panicking, she tried to bat away Rikku's hand, to no avail, "C'mon guys, Rikku, what's happened to you?!" She looked towards Cirrus, "C'mon Cirrus, let's just go help Brother and-"

"Remove it!" Rikku yelled, her voice a shrill screech as she pressed the blade against Cirrus's wrists harder; drawing blood.

Cirrus grimaced, then, in a stronger voice, "I'm sorry for what I must." without another word, his eyes began to glow a haunting white, and an unearthly red aura flooded to his legs.

Sensing danger, Rikku slashed the blade up with all her might, Yuna squeezed shut her eyes before she knew the blade would carve through flesh and bone. Nearby, the familiar screech of a chocobo blared in the air.

Suddenly, she felt something warm and feathery ram into her back hard. She flew forward into Cirrus's arms, her head bumping hard against his chest. Groggily she opened her eyes, the last thing she saw was a bright yellow chocobo and something pink, which she assumed was a moogle. Then, dizziness and darkness closed over her.


	8. Dream

_**The Torn Heart**_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything (yes, I am a hobo )._

Chapter 8: A Dream

A gentle brush of wind caressed her cheek; bring with it the moist breath of the morning dew.

Still sleepy, Yuna turned her back to the open window, and drew her warm soft covers about her. The supple velvet mattress gently pressed about her tired body and the soft fluffy pillow soothed her aching head. Her eyes were still closed; dreaming of happy squirrels and blooming flowers on her home of Besaid. The soft ocean breeze and the gentle warm sun seemed to bath her dreams in warm and fuzzy clouds. She snuggled deeper into her pillow.

Then

_Rap, rap, rap_

The knock was followed by Sir Auron's voice, "Lady Yuna, it is time we set out again; we must reach Mi'hen before the day is through."

"Argh." Yuna groaned inwardly as she tossed in her bed, annoyed at the sudden disappearance of her clouds and squirrels. Covering her head with the fluffy pillow, Yuna lazily though, _Maybe he'll just go away._

There was a quiet pause, and for a brief moment, Yuna drifted back into dreamy sleep.

_Rap, rap, rap_

"Oh…" Yuna batted away before her where she imagined Auron would be if he was inside her room, obviously to no avail, "Ten more minutes please. It's soooooo early."

"Yuna." Auron's voice sounded through the door, carrying with it a hint of amusement, "It is high noon, everyone is already awake."

Then, another voice came from the opposite direction, more than likely where the window would be. The voice was lighter, female, but just as somber and serious, "Yuna, perhaps you should not drink alcohol yet."

Yuna's eyes snapped open at that, turning on her sides, she looked outside her window, "Lulu?!" She feebly tried to make who it was, rubbing her eyes, she saw to her amazement, "Paine!!"

"Good guess, care to go for the one million now?" Paine smirked, "C'mon Yuna, we wouldn't want to keep the others waiting."

Yuna nodded blankly. _Paine?_ She thought to herself in confusion. Then obviousness came to her, Paine was her guardian, they'd been together since she was very young…But who is this Lulu?

Shaking her head free of sleep, Yuna decided it must've been just a strange dream. After all, alcohol does not bode well in a seventeen year old body. She couldn't even remember why she had take a sip from Auron's flask.

Quickly, in the most wanton skip of events, Yuna was dressed in her Summoner skirt and blouse; she even managed to tie that knot behind her back by herself, which incidentally placed a smile upon her lips.

Stepping outside the Highroads Traveling Agency, Yuna immediately felt the glare of the high sun beat upon her. Yet, it remained cold as on the Highroads, as their name implied, were quite high in elevation, thus always cold. Strolling over to the cliff edge, Yuna could feel the rushing income of ocean gust brush her hair back. She took a deep breath of the salty air, letting it fill her lungs. That sphere of the recordings that she would give to everyone once she was gone suddenly felt heavy against her thighs where she kept it.

She swallowed a gulp that was rising to her throat; she can't be sad now, she needed to be happy, she was, after all, a Summoner on her pilgrimage to vanquish Sin. But still…there's so much she has yet to experience, and-

"Yuna!" Yuna whirled around to see Tidus, the supposed star of the Zanarkand Abes run to her from the Agency.

Suddenly, she felt a part of her heart leap inside her chest; tears almost rose to her eyes. But just as quickly as those strange feelings came, they vanished, leaving Yuna befuddled. She did, after all, hardly know him, yet there was just something about him that made Yuna want to know him.

Sensing her confusion, Tidus smiled comfortingly, placing his hand upon her shoulder, he asked, "What's wrong Yuna?"

"It's nothing." She lied.

He looked at her, then smiled again, "Let's go catch up then, old man Auron's getting impatient."

"Yes." Yuna nodded.

She followed Tidus down the Highroad, catching up with Sir Auron, who seemed to be much more patient then Tidus had described him. And so they headed toward the Mushroom Rock Road, where the Maester Seymour had arranged accommodations for them; all four of them.

The trek was peaceful and rather devoid of fiends. Sir Auron spoke of the old days with Jecht, Paine, like usual, spoke very little. But Yuna didn't mind, she talked with Tidus, something that she, through reason unknown to her, had an enormous desire to do. At times, Yuna simply wanted to throw her arms around him, and kiss him, and tell him that she loved him. Then immediately following these impulses, she would berate and question herself, she hardly knew him, not only that, even if she knew and loved him, how long can that last? With her final battle with Sin, she would be…

Well, she didn't want to think of that.

She sighed.

"Say, Yuna." Tidus obviously noticed she wasn't listening.

"Huh?" Her thoughts broken, she looked at him with obliviousness, which quickly turned to embarrassment, "Oh, I'm sorry, I, was…Uh."

"Well, what's wrong?" He nudged her gently, then, whispering loudly enough for Auron to hear, he said, "Did my stories get as boring as the Old Guy's"

"Oh no," Yuna smiled.

"You know, Boy," Auron said without turning his back, "didn't Jecht ever teach you some manners?"

"That would've been your job since Pops was in this world," Tidus said.

"Would you preferred it if I beat it into you now?" Auron's voice wafted back the challenge.

"Pfft, like you could old man."

"Don't doubt me, I would, but I rather not embarrass you in front of Lady Yuna."

Yuna blushed and giggled at that, but stopped quickly enough before Tidus could catch it.

"Oh why I ought…"

Then something in the corner of Yuna's vision caught her eye; Tidus's voice seemed to fade away. Coming rapidly toward them was a racing chocobo, both yellow and fluffy. It sped toward then, the chocobo's brilliant red eyes glaring menacingly deep at Yuna. As it came near her, time seemed to freeze.

Yuna stared deep into the bird's fiery red eyes, then she saw it. It was nothing more than a swift few blinks, but it was enough. A series of dazzling blue light seemed to explode in the bird's eyes. Fire, roiling demonic fire. Calm lands. The Calm lands were-

_No…_

"Ahhh!" She heard herself gasp, time snapped back into reality. Suddenly, her head felt light and dizzy, she toppled forward, unable to catch herself.

"Yuna!" Swiftly, Tidus shot forward and grabbed her in his arms, "What's wrong?"

_I'll stop here, because well, I don't really have a reason other than it's fun. Oh yes, I will update as soon as I can. _XD XD


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